Is Today’s White Sportsfan “Better” Than His Grandfather?

When you go to bed tonight, don’t forget to set your clocks back 50 years . . .

A clown wearing a President Obama mask appeared at a Missouri State Fair rodeo last weekend and the announcer asked the enthusiastic spectators if they wanted to see “Obama run down by a bull.” The well-documented response . . . “everybody screamed” and “just went wild.”

Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder denounced the performance in a tweet saying it was “disrespectful” to the president .”We are better than this,” the Republican tweeted.

I beg to differ . . . ! Call me crazy . . . but it sure seems White men don’t have the respect of any ethnic group in the nation. Any. Please tell me which ethnic group “respects the Republican TEA Party card carryer?

Yes, that lack-of-respect is why it’s almost impossible to believe the observations and viewpoints of any given White guy is void of the typical, run-of-the-mill anti-Black perspectives which seem to dominate their thought-process.

From the glorification of a cold-blooded killer like George Zimmerman to silly, yet sinister issues like this rodeo Clown donning an Obama mask incident . . . along with Bananas being thrown at Black MLB Players . . . apparently much of White America is “no better” nor much different.

So as I ponder the gridiron fate of NFL ebony-skinned Signal Callers like Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, RGIII, Josh Freeman and Mike Vick, it’s difficult, hard-as-hell honestly, to assume they’re being fairly weighed and measured by a US court-of-public opinion, i.e, sportsfans and pundits across a racially polarized country – who see them as nothing more than million dollar thugs and hoodlums. semi-literate/quasi-illiterate womanizing gangsters . . . as they do virtually all Black men and women.

See, it’s hard to believe this nation’s White male population, where-in-which 75%, 3 out of four – consider themselves “to the Right”- which translates into “Obama is a commie/pinko[Marxist Chicago style gangster who hates America” and was propelled into the White House by angry Blacks who no-longer know “our place . . .” it’s a Gumby like stretch for me to believe there’s some difference between Obama, me, Colin Powell and Cam Newton – at the end of the day . . . we’re all angry, arrogant Black men.

When I consider what the sports and political pundits say about Black Presidents and Quarterbacks . . . blatantly painting n’ tainting us all as one monolithic collection of dysfunctional derelicts -lazy, lacking work-ethic, morals, values, love of country and game, unable to decipher NFL defenses, let-alone Global politics . . . it’s extremely difficult to believe the pages of NFL.com, ESPN, Yahoo, FOX Sports, Bleacher Report . . . because the guys behind all the opinions and viewpoints are vastly White men.

You bet, believe it – millions of Black sportsfans find it difficult to regard the mainstream established sports commentary and reporting as fair, balanced, informed . . . non-partial.

How could we when you consider the “Right” in America is composed of mainly, vastly White men? It’s their collective contention Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans are inherently inferior – that’s why it was acceptable to damn-near exterminate, enslave, forcibly coerce land, and destroy lives and families – because we were sub-human to begin-with . . . and that’s why it’s OK to empower the police to stop/frisk and shoot any coon or spec without fear of anything more than an all White jury exalting you .

Now if I consider the Internet message/comment boards, sports talk radio . . . the statements made there, good lord.. . my gut instincts and bat senses tell me for every 100 White men . . . maybe about a quarter, 25%, 1 in 4 are comfortable drinking out of the same water fountain as a Black person, using the same restroom or eating in the same diner.

Also, let’s not deny the contemporary history of the NFL . . . the reasons “why” there so-few Black QBs, coaches, head coaches and cheerleaders isn’t because we’re not qualified and capable — but because of society-wide White racism.

And lest not White-coat the current climate across these divided states – Rand Paul and Rush Limbaugh speak for most White folks, and gee – between the two you’ve got a solid attempt going to bar Blacks from voting, holding any breadwinner type jobs, owning a home off the “Urban Reservation,” spending a stormy night in a Marriott or Hilton hotel if the owner isn’t comfortable with “your kind.”

See, it’s easy to see most of White America judges folks not by the content of their character, but rather by the blind belief that White folks are good and Black n’ Brown folks are bad.

So yes, I can say with complete, absolute confidence most of White America is not better than the racist antics and comments we witness everyday in this nation – they certainly weren’t “better” 50 years ago, and I’d argue not-much has changed about your outlook on racial equality, diversity and inclusion – and the change I’ve seen is superficial window dressing which even that was only brought about with most White people kickin’ n’ screamin, fleeing to the suburban hills to avoid “progress.”